In 1961, Vladimir Ossipoff designed the First Hawaiian Bank's first national bank branch in Kalihi.

Photo: Courtesy University of Hawaii's Hamilton Library

Owners of homes designed by renowned mid-century architect Vladimir Ossipoff may soon get a fuller glimpse into the history of their properties, thanks to a donation made to the University of Hawaii. The architect Sid Snyder recently gifted a collection of original drawings, sketches and blueprints of homes and buildings designed by Ossipoff, rendered during the time they shared an architectural practice. Unfortunately, the gift has revealed itself to be a bit of a white elephant, and the University’s Hamilton Library is straining to keep up with the demands of preserving and cataloguing such a vast set of documents.

The Hawaii Architectural Foundation, employing the crowd-funding platform Indiegogo, has stepped in to help the library raise the $27,000 they require to process the gift, as well as make the documents available to students, researchers and owners of Ossipoff-designed homes. The donations have so far ranged from $1 to $10,000, and the HAF and the Hamilton Library have created a range of perks to incentivize giving. A donation of $30, for example, will be matched with an “Awesome-Poff” t-shirt; on the higher end, one man’s gift earned him, and nine of his friends, a sunset dinner at Ossipoff’s famed Liljestrand House on Tantalus Drive.

As of this posting, the library was still $3,000 shy of hitting its goal. To learn more about the effort, visit igg.me/at/ossipoff.

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Honolulu Real Estate focuses on the Hawai‘i housing market, condos and homes for sale, Hawai‘i rentals and general news about real estate in Hawai‘i. It also includes stories on apartment living, home decor and profiles.

Melissa Chang graduated from the University of Hawai‘i with a degree in journalism. She has been blogging about food and travel since 2007. She works primarily in social media, so you can find her online @Melissa808 on Twitter and Instagram.

Jaymes Song is a real estate agent at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Kāhala. Jaymes is in the top 1.5 percent of Better Homes agents nationwide. He was voted “Best in Real Estate” in 2015 and 2014 by HONOLULU Magazine readers. Previously, Jaymes was at The Orange County Register, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and rose through the ranks to overseeing news and operations for AP in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim. Jaymes lives in the Portlock area and loves his real full-time job as a dad to two curious kids.